GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — Students at East Middle School organized a walkout at 2 pm on Monday to protest the recent D51 School Board decision to close their school.

Over 100 students marched around the school grounds holding signs that said “save our school,” and “testing matters,” while occasionally chanting the name of their school.

All of my children are going to have to start over somewhere new.

Angela Urroz, mother of four

D51 School Board Member Doug Levinson told KREX he thinks the school board rushed the decision to close East Middle School, “We want to make sure that we can look people in the eye and say there was no other alternative and I’m not so sure that is the case.”

In an earlier interview, D51 School Board President Andrea Haitz defended the decision to close East Middle citing the demographer’s recommendation and financial restraints.

The School Board has not decided on whether they will close Orchard Avenue Middle School or Orchard Mesa Elementary, which the demographer recommended.